OVERVIEW: Hopper now knows that he is definitely not
an ordinary pet shop mouse. With the underground rat civilization of Atlantia
all but destroyed and Titus dethroned, Hopper, Zucker, Firren, and a spattering
of Rangers are now working to rebuild. But it's difficult. REALLY difficult.
Queen Felina, the evil feral royal, has begun amassing a new band of street
cats. And without the sinister 'peace accord' in place, it is open season on
the rodents.

Meanwhile, Hopper's siblings are on quests of their own: Pinkie has led a coup
and is ruling the Mus with an iron paw, and Pup is no longer the sweet,
innocent brother Hopper once knew.

With the support of some new upland allies, including a funky cat named Ace,
can Hopper make the tunnels safe again and fulfill a destiny he never imagined?

FORMAT: Hopper's Destiny is the second book
in the Mouseheart series. It is a children's fantasy book with lots of
adventure elements. It stands at 352 pages and was published March 17, 2015 by
Margaret K. McElderry Books.

ANALYSIS: Mouseheart was a delightful random
read that I came across last year. It wasn't perfect, but it reminded me of my
days reading Redwall and had a solid, well-written plot. I really enjoyed
reading it and looked forward to other book in the series. Hopper's Destiny is the
recently released sequel to Mouseheart.

Hopper's Destiny picks up
almost where Mouseheart left off. Hopper, our hero, is struggling to figure
out how he is going to help the citizens of Atlantia. The battle that occurred
in the first book may be over, but peace may not last forever and the citizens
of the city are not prepared to fight. Hopper believes that the only way to
succeed is to work with the outcast Mus encampment that is currently being run
by his sister, Pinkie. Unfortunately, things do not go as planned.

Somehow, upon returning from his meeting with Pinkie, Hopper
is transported to the Upland, where he meets new friends who will prove helpful
in the upcoming final battle against Queen Felina.

Overall, I felt Hopper's Destiny was just as strong
as Mouseheart. It had solid writing, it was fast paced, and the characters were
evolving from the first book. The battle scenes were detailed and didn't border
on the grotesque. I really enjoyed seeing how the characters drew out some of
the battle strategies and planned for certain events.

I was really glad to see that the author took the time to
make sure that not all cats were portrayed in a mean or evil way. As the story
progressed, there were cats that were good, cats that were indifferent. It was
a little disheartening to see that every cat in the first book was mean.

Most of the loose ends from the first book are tied up
nicely in Hopper's Destiny. The whole La Rocha aspect of the series is
explored and explained (fairly) satisfactory. There are some aspects of Hopper's
Destiny that are left unresolved and we have to wait for the next
installment, but the ending was satisfactory. It felt complete and not a huge
cliffhanger.

Even though Hopper's Destiny was a strong book,
it wasn't without its flaws. One of the biggest issues I had, which was similar
to Mouseheart, was the way the mice/characters would do certain things. It
didn't make sense to me, unless they were mutant mice.

For example, Hopper is a mouse. He isn't a giant rat; he is
a normal, regular mouse. There is a scene in which he flings an extension cord
up and over his head. The cord flies through a mail slot and he uses it to
climb up and out of the mail slot. I struggle to see how a mouse could pick up
an extension cord (used by humans) and toss it unless it was a mutant.

The scene above is in direct contrast to the other
references to the animals/characters size. There is a beautifully drawn photo
of a mouse in a small bed and behind it are human earrings used as wall
hangings. It seemed the sizes were disproportionate to what was going on. If earrings
were used as wall hangings, how was an extension cord so easily used?

I don't think the size issue is something children would
notice, but I think older readers would definitely question it. Sure, we are
talking about talking animals and animals with human-like behaviors, but I just
think the portrayal could have been a little more realistic.

Another issue I ran into, and this is purely personal
preference, was Pup (the younger brother of Pinkie and Hopper). He was so mean
and damaged throughout the novel, but I didn't understand his anger. It seemed
a bit of a forced element to the book, as he just seemed angry or damaged for
the sake of plot progression.

Essentially Hopper's Destiny is a solid second
book in a series. Younger readers, who may not be as critical of the character
portrayal or somewhat predictable nature of some of the plot elements, will
certainly enjoy it. Older readers, especially those that loved Redwall and
Warriors, will still continue to enjoy the series.

Personally, I am
still enjoying the Mouseheart series. This is certainly a second book in a
series. It didn't wow me, but it was solid and moved certain plot elements
along. I'm certainly on board for book three.